A Mechanism for Sustained Groundwater Pressure Changes Induced by Distant Earthquakes Emily E
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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 108, NO. B8, 2390, doi:10.1029/2002JB002321, 2003 A mechanism for sustained groundwater pressure changes induced by distant earthquakes Emily E. Brodsky,1 Evelyn Roeloffs,2 Douglas Woodcock,3 Ivan Gall,4 and Michael Manga5 Received 25 November 2002; revised 8 March 2003; accepted 3 April 2003; published 22 August 2003. [1] Large, sustained well water level changes (>10 cm) in response to distant (more than hundreds of kilometers) earthquakes have proven enigmatic for over 30 years. Here we use high sampling rates at a well near Grants Pass, Oregon, to perform the first simultaneous analysis of both the dynamic response of water level and sustained changes, or steps. We observe a factor of 40 increase in the ratio of water level amplitude to seismic wave ground velocity during a sudden coseismic step. On the basis of this observation we propose a new model for coseismic pore pressure steps in which a temporary barrier deposited by groundwater flow is entrained and removed by the more rapid flow induced by the seismic waves. In hydrothermal areas, this mechanism could lead to 4 Â 10À2 MPa pressure changes and triggered seismicity. INDEX TERMS: 1829 Hydrology: Groundwater hydrology; 7209 Seismology: Earthquake dynamics and mechanics; 7212 Seismology: Earthquake ground motions and engineering; 7260 Seismology: Theory and modeling; 7294 Seismology: Instruments and techniques; KEYWORDS: earthquakes, triggering, time-dependent hydrology, fractures Citation: Brodsky, E. E., E. Roeloffs, D. Woodcock, I. Gall, and M. Manga, A mechanism for sustained groundwater pressure changes induced by distant earthquakes, J. Geophys. Res., 108(B8), 2390, doi:10.1029/2002JB002321, 2003. 1. Introduction aquifer is a manometer measuring the pore pressure at a point. During 1993–2001, several seismic water level [2] Earthquakes can produce sustained water level oscillations and two coseismic steps were recorded digi- changes in certain distant wells [Coble, 1965; Bower and tally. The 1 September 1994 M = 7.2 Petrolia, California Heaton, 1978; Matsumoto, 1992; Roeloffs, 1998; King et w (epicentral distance Á = 2.71°), earthquake generated a al., 1999] that are often orders of magnitude larger than can 15 cm decrease in water level over 2.5 days, and the be explained by static stress changes [Bower and Heaton, 30 September 1999 M =7.4Oaxaca,Mexico(Á = 1978]. Many researchers suggest that seismic waves inter- w 34.65°) earthquake generated an immediate 11 cm decrease acting with aquifers produce the sustained changes in pore in water level. We show that (1) the coseismic steps are pressure, or steps, hundreds of kilometers from an earth- related to the passage of seismic waves, (2) the amplitude quake [Bower and Heaton, 1978; Roeloffs, 1998; King et of the water level oscillations relative to the seismic ground al., 1999]. The redistribution of pore pressure can generate velocity increased abruptly at the time of the step induced crustal deformation [Johnston et al., 1995] and perhaps by the Oaxaca earthquake, and (3) gradual water level even trigger seismicity [Hill et al., 1993; Brodsky et al., steps are consistent with pore pressure changes diffusing to 2000; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), 2000]. However, the the well from within the aquifer. These observations mechanism by which small cyclic stresses induce persistent motivate a new model for distant water level changes. pore pressure changes has remained uncertain. Seismic waves remove a temporary barrier of sediment or [3] Here we constrain the mechanism for coseismic steps solid precipitate resulting in both an increase in the seismic in a well near Grants Pass, Oregon, by using both high wave amplification and a persistent water level change. We sample rate water level data from the well and seismic data then test the model with a new observation during the from the broadband Berkeley Digital Seismic Network 3 November 2002 M = 7.9 Alaska earthquake. station Yreka Blue Horn Mine (YBH) in Yreka, California w (Figure 1). The water level in a well penetrating a confined 2. Observations 1Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA. [4] The 91.4 m deep NVIP-3 well near Grants Pass, 2U.S. Geological Survey, Vancouver, Washington, USA. Oregon, has been monitored continuously since 1984 3Oregon Water Resources Department, Salem, Oregon, USA. [Woodcock and Roeloffs, 1996]. The well is drilled into a 4Oregon Water Resources Department, Grants Pass, Oregon, USA. 5 fractured granodiorite confined aquifer and a float measures Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, the water level. The chart recorder installed in 1984 was Berkeley, California, USA. replaced in November 1993 with a digital data logger À3 À3 Copyright 2003 by the American Geophysical Union. recording at 1.7 Â 10 or 1.1 Â 10 Hz. If the water 0148-0227/03/2002JB002321$09.00 level changed more than 0.6 mm, the sampling rate increased ESE 7 - 1 ESE 7 - 2 BRODSKY ET AL.: SEISMIC PORE PRESSURE STEPS Figure 1. Coseismic water level steps. (a) Map of sites and earthquakes discussed. The distance between the seismometer (YBH) and the well (NVIP-3) is 101 km. (b) Raw well level for Petrolia earthquake. The Petrolia earthquake origin time (time 0) is shaded. The step is marked by an arrow. (c) Well level for Petrolia earthquake with tides, barometric effects and linear trend removed. (d) Same as Figure 1b for Oaxaca. (e) Same as Figure 1c for Oaxaca with the arrow and the shading indicating the Oaxaca earthquake origin time. (f ) Same as Figure 1b for Hector Mine with the arrow and the shading indicating the Hector Mine earthquake origin time. No step was observed during this earthquake. The step at À15 days is the Oaxaca earthquake. (g) Same as Figure 1c for Hector Mine. Water well data for Denali are given in Figure 7. Table 1. Well Parameters up to a maximum of 1 Hz. In October 1998 a pressure Variable Value transducer was added sampling at 1.7 Â 10À3 Hz. Since March 2001, 1 Hz data from both the float and the transducer Well bore radius rw 0.06 m Water column height H 82.8 ± 1.2 m have been collected to verify that no instrumental delay is Tidal responsea À 2.6 ± 0.1 m mstrainÀ1 introduced by the float. The well geometry and hydrological Poisson’s ratio n 0.25 b c À7 À1 properties are given in Table 1. The dynamic response Matrix specific storage Ss 4 Â 10 m b À8 À1 cannot be modeled for the eight earthquake-related water Matrix hydraulic conductivity K 6.8 Â 10 ms Fracture length L 130 m level drops before 1994 [Woodcock and Roeloffs, 1996] Phase velocity c 3.7 ± 0.4 km sÀ1 because the chart records lack sufficient resolution. a Observed amplitude of M2 tidal constituent from 1993–2001 data [5] Below we first discuss the hydrological and seismo- divided by the theoretical dilatation. logical observations pertaining to the oscillatory response of bThe granodiorite wall rock is the matrix. the well in the seismic frequency band (0.02–0.2 Hz). We cSpecific storage derived from tidal response following the poroelastic then present direct observations of steps in water level. calculation of Hsieh et al. [1988]. The upper bound on Ss is 1/À which applies when the rock grains are incompressible. The maximum Ss 2.1. Oscillatory Well Response to Shaking consistent with the tidal data is used here as it results in physically plausible fracture dimensions [Hsieh et al., 1988]. The maximum value of Ss that [6] During 1993–2001, several earthquakes produced meets the tidal constraints is adopted because (1) it is a typical value of ground shaking on the order of mm sÀ1 at the site and crystalline rocks and (2) the resulting fracture size is physically plausible. BRODSKY ET AL.: SEISMIC PORE PRESSURE STEPS ESE 7 - 3 Figure 2. Mw = 7.1 16 October 1999 Hector Mine (Á = 9.66°) earthquake water well response and seismogram. (a) Water level response at NVIP-3. (b) Vertical component of seismogram recorded at YBH. Y axis scales are the same as in Figures 4a and 4b. water well level oscillations with amplitudes 10 cm. These oscillations to the particle velocity in the seismic waves. The large responses imply a large amplification in the well- units of c are m/(m/s). aquifer system (Figure 2). The water level displacement in [7] The amplification factor c is computed by dividing the well measures the head change in the aquifer induced by the observed well spectra from NVIP-3 by the seismically the strain of the seismic waves. Hydraulic head h is defined observed vertical ground velocity spectra from YBH for the as h p/rg À z, where p is the pore pressure, r is the density records (Figure 3b). Amplitude corrections are applied to of water, g is gravitational acceleration, and z is the eleva- the seismograms to account for differences in geometric tion. For waves in an elastic medium, strain is proportional to spreading and radiation pattern between YBH and the well. particle velocity [e.g., Love, 1927, equation XIII.17]. There- These corrections are small (<15%) for all of the events fore the amplification of the seismic waves in the well is discussed in this paper. A 2002 seismic installation showed measured by the ratio c of the amplitude of the water level that both YBH and NVIP-3 are hard rock sites and no site or Figure 3. Fits to determine hydraulic conductivity K and fracture length L. (a) Pumping test data (crosses) and best fit model (red line) from equation (2). The drawdown was monitored both manually and by a pressure transducer during a pumping test in November 2001.